Marcello Lippi gets off to winning start in China with Guangzhou Evergrande

By Ben Somerford

The Italian was unveiled as the new coach of the Chinese champions in midweek and revealed after Sunday's opening victory his delight at a rare debut win

Former 2006 World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi has guided Guangzhou Evergrande to a 1-0 victory over Qingdao Jonoon in his first game in charge in China's Super League on Sunday.

The Italian, who replaced the sacked Lee Jang-Soo during the week, saw China international striker Gao Lin head in the game's only goal on 67 minutes to clinch the victory which keeps Guangzhou top of the table.

Speaking at the post-game press conference, the 60-year-old said he was delighted to get off to a winning start after previous debut failures with his former clubs.

"In my career, no matter with Juventus, Milan or the Italian national team, my debut match has always been a loss," Lippi said. "So I was a little bit afraid about the first match actually.

"Now I have the opposite result, I feel very happy and have more confidence for the future."

Guangzhou, who have qualified for the AFC Champions League Round of 16, moved four points clear at the summit with the triumph over the league's bottom side.

"Firstly, I would like to say I am happy with the result, and my team got three points. It is not easy to win a game, no matter where the team is standing, even if the team is on the bottom of the table," he said.

Lippi added having only spent three days with his new side in midweek, it would take time to impose his style of football on the players, who he believed had showed signs of fatigue after a demanding season to date.

"I have been here with my team for three days, but the team has played totally 17 matches in the past three months, so I found the team is a little bit tired," he said.

"The players need some time to adjust its new position and condition."

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